NYCkayaker OH Boy! (Tsunami Danger)

[TomBrooklyn]

From: "Erik Baard" Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 
> NY Times  
> Ancient Crash, Epic Wave
> By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
> November 14, 2006 
> 
> "The explanation is obvious to some scientists. A large asteroid or
> comet, the kind that could kill a quarter of the world’s population,
> smashed into the Indian Ocean 4,800 years ago, producing a tsunami at
> least 600 feet high, about 13 times as big as the one that inundated
> Indonesia nearly two years ago. 

> LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/science/14WAVE.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

==============================

I've seen videos of the 2004 ('05?) Tsunami, and the water rose nowhere near 46' (600/13 =46),
although perhaps the wave closer to the epicenter would have been higher if it hit land there.

Nevertheless, the size of Tsunamis the subject article talks about is much greater than what I
thought was possible.  I live in Sunset Park, Brooklyn at 105 feet above sea level and I didn't
think any tsunami waves would reach here, but I may have to rethink that.   

I checked the Impacts Effects Calculator  ( http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/ ) but it
doesn't include tsunami effects--it just covers Thermal Radiation, Seismic, Ejecta and Air Blast. 
 

I think I'm OK with Tsunamis as long as I could get my kayak lauched.  I'll have to make sure it's
always ready to go.   From the videos I've seen the water comes more like a swiftly rising tide
than like a breaking wave, so I expect to be able to ride it up without having to surf it.